As Simple As Chocolate
by angel-death-dealer
Summary: Set post 2.18. He knows he's been a jerk. He knows she's having nightmares. He knows he needs to make it up to her. How does he do that? Well, it's as simple as chocolate. ONESHOT Jate.


**Ok, I got a review for Change the Future because someone was wondering when I was actually going to write it, which reminded me that I was going to do jate endings for all the new episodes. So, naturally, ten minutes later, here I am, writing this one. This is set at the end of 2x18, Dave, because as far as I'm aware, there was no jate interaction at all, except for when they're talking to Locke. So here's to you Jaters!**

xx

**As Simple As Chocolate**

It was a familiar scene, one that had a real sense of deja-vu to it. Survivors of Oceanic 815 were sat together on the beach, enjoying a feast of sorts. Since they had found the large package of food in the middle of the jungle last night, and it had been ransacked that morning, it had been prepared all day. Kate wasn't part of the happy group though, she didn't feel like sitting down, sharing the jokes, forcing the smile on her face, so she had done her usual, made a seperate fire away from the rest, outside of her shelter, and sat by herself. She had some food for herself, and a bottle of water, which would satisfy her until the morning, and she figured that for once, she might turn in early for the night.

She knew that this was easier said than done, however, as she rarely slept since that night in the jungle. She would lay awake, tossing and turning, seeing that man's face, the unnamed face, half-hidden by a beard, only inches away from hers. She would finally get to sleep, and then, only minutes later, be awakened, checking her neck immediately to assure herself that the cold feel of the gun barrell was all in her imagination. Some night, she would hear the rustling of another person walk past her tent in the dead of night, on a 'call of nature', heading past her shelter into the nearest trees, and she would lie there, still as a statue, reminding herself that the Others hadn't returned, and that she was safe.

She didn't feel safe anymore though, not after what had happened. Ever since she had kissed Jack that day in the jungle, and ran, she no longer felt safe on the island of mysteries. Before, the simple knowledge that Jack was a few shelters along, or that he was at the caves only a short distance away, was enough to make her feel secure enough to sleep through the night. She didn't know how Jack made her feel so safe when they were in so much danger. He wasn't even trying, either. He just always had something about him, his heroism, that made her certain that no harm would come to her. It took her back to that first day, in the cockpit, just before the pilot was ripped out. As soon as the monster had roared, he had beckoned to her, and held her against him, if only for a moment - the first time he had ever held her in his arms.

But now, she had run from him, and he hadn't run after her. That was what hurt so much, the knowledge that she had ruined everything, just by caring. She should have known better than to care, especially after what happened to Tom, but she had cared anyway. No, she hadn't cared. She had _loved_. She still did. That was why she was sitting further down the beach, on her own, wallowing in the realisation that if she hadn't kissed him, if she hadn't followed him and gotten kidnapped, then he would most likely be sitting there beside her, and she would feel like laughing. Instead, he was over further down the beach, sitting beside Hurley and Charlie. So Kate went back to her own dinner. She could see them from where she sat, but Jack wouldn't be able to see her, not unless he was purposefully looking out for her dimmed outline.

He was listening to Charlie tease Hurley, who was telling them all about the kiss he had gotten from Libby that afternoon. Charlie refused to believe it until Libby herself came along and sat down beside Hurley, the two of them kissing shyly as a way of 'hello'. Jack smiled softly at them. He remembered nights like this when he and Kate were still innocent friends, when before she disappeared off to her shelter and he back the hatch, one would give the other a gentle kiss on the cheek, in the living friendship they shared. Thinking about her, he looked around, to see where she was sitting. After scanning he crowd, he came to see that she wasn't there.

"Who are you looking for?" Charlie asked him, noticing that he was looking around over and over again with a gentle look of concern over his face.

Jack was about to answer when Hurley stepped in. "Dude, Kate's not here." He told him.

Jack raised his eyebrows. "Why do you think I was looking for Kate?" He asked, even though he was.

"'Cause you're always looking for Kate." Hurley said laughing.

"I might be looking for Ana." He pointed out. "Or Claire, or Sayid, or anyone else"

"Claire's over there, Sayid's two spaces along from her, and Ana's, well," Charlie couldn't describe it, so Hurley did.

"Ana's not Kate." He shrugged. Charlie agreed.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Jack asked with a laugh.

"She's not Kate." Hurley repeated. "Kate makes you happy, Ana makes you stressed."

Jack smiled, and let out a laugh at their interpretation.

"See!" Charlie said, "Just talking about Kate makes you smile."

"Dude, you got it bad." Hurley nodded.

"I haven't 'got it bad'." Jack protested. "I haven't even 'got it'."

Hurley looked at him incredulously. "Then what are you waiting for?" He asked him. "Go get it!"

"Look," Jack reasoned. "I haven't seen her in a while, I just want to make sure she's Ok, see how she's holding up."

"How she's holding up? Isn't this enough proof?"

"What?"

"Dude, she's not here. She came to get some food, took a bottle of water, and disappeared off to her tent hours ago." Hurley pointed out. "She hasn't been around properly for days. She hardly eats, she's always awake, and we sit here, because she doesn't listen to us, and we sit and pretend that we don't hear her screaming."

Charlie shot Hurley a look and gave him an elbow in the ribs. Jack's head whipped round. "Screaming?" He asked, immediately concerned.

"A few nights ago, you guys went off to find Michael, right?" Hurley revealed. Charlie was giving him a look still. "She didn't eat that night, and I was walking past, and we heard her crying in her sleep and stuff." Jack ran his hand through his stubbly hair, knowing why she was screaming. "We went and woke her up, to see if she was Ok, and she really flipped out. I said that I was going to get you, and she really freaked, saying that we weren't supposed to tell you."

"You should have come and gotten me." Jack told them.

"Seriously, I'm more scared of Kate than I am of you." Hurley joked. "She probably would have yelled at you until one of you passed out." He pointed out.

"So, she's screaming every night?" Jack asked. Charlie nodded. "Why has no one come to me? Someone else must have heard it too."

This time, Charlie shook his head. "Our shelters are closest to hers. No one else can hear her. We only heard her that night because we were walking past."

Jack looked over in the direction of Kate's shelter, and then back at the others. He stood up.

"Where are you going?" Hurley asked.

"Where do you think?" He replied simply, taking his bottle of water, and heading over to Kate's shelter. Charlie and Hurley moved further down the group, so that they could clearly see where Kate was sitting. Over the next few minutes, they watched as Jack sat down, and he handed something to her before they talked for a while. Then things became more romantic, as Jack took Kate in his arms, feeding her something, but then Jack leaned over her and they couldn't see what was happening, then after a few minutes, they stood up together, and went into Kate's shelter, her still leaning against him. Jack didn't come back out. The pair looked at each other.

"Dude, now he's go it bad." Hurley stated, and they both nodded, silently timing how long it was that they stayed in there together.

"What time is it?"

Hurley checked his watch. "A bit after 8."

* * *

Kate didn't hear the approaching sound of Jack's footsteps as he walked up beside her. She was so lost in thought that she didn't even know he was there until his leg brushed against hers at he sat down. The sudden contact caused her to jump a little, and Jack smiled apologetically.

"Sorry." He muttered. She gave him a weak smile back.

"It's alright, I was off in another world." She told him. They were silent for a while, both looking into the small fire that Kate had made. Finally, she could stand the silence no longer, even though it had only lasted a matter of seconds. "How's John? Coping with the crutches?" She asked.

Jack nodded. "He's not very happy about it though." He let out a laugh. "He'll be spending most of his time up the hatch, its easier than getting through the jungle on them." He told her.

"I can see why he's not very happy about it." She said with a small nod. Locke wasn't one to let people tell him what to do, especially when that person was Jack.

They fell into silence again, then Jack spoke up. "I'm sorry about last night." He told her, lifting his face from the fire to see her looking at him in confusion. "I said that I'd walk you back to the beach," He reminded her. "Then I didn't."

"Oh!" She realised. "That doesn't matter, after all, we got food in return." She assured him. "I was Ok."

"Speaking of food." He reached into his bag, and pulled out a small package, handing it over to her.

Her eyes lit up as she took the chocolate bar. "Jack!" She gasped. "I thought I'd missed out on these." She said with a laugh, the Apollo bar bringing a child-like look of glee to her face.

"You did." He nodded. "Then, Charlie and Hurley said that you were over here on your own. You looked really down, so I figured that you could use some chocolate." He smiled.

Kate smirked. "You have no idea how right you are." She mused.

"About being down?"

"About needing chocolate." She corrected. She took a bite out of the chocolate bar and smiled. "Heaven." She exhaled.

Jack laughed. "Should I leave you and the chocolate bar alone for a minute?" He asked her teasingly.

"Why? You got anymore?" She asked him.

Jack feigned hurt, putting his hand over his heart and looking wounded. "Well, if you'd rather spend time with a bar of chocolate over a nice, fireside talk with me, I'll guess I'll just go..." He trailed off, but his feigned wounding was put to a stop when he felt a hand slip into his. Surprised, he stared at his hand to see that Kate hand enclosed hers in his, and when he looked up at her, he saw that she was also smiling at him.

"I guess I can multitask." She said, going to take another bite of chocolate, but stopping at the last minute and offering the bar out to him.

"I have a better idea." Jack said, taking the chocolate regardless. "Close your eyes." He instructed.

She looked at him strangely, an eyebrow raising.

"Just do it." He said, and she shook her head, sighing. Regardless, she closed her eyes. "And turn around."

"Jack - what are you -"

"Kate, please," He said, his voice turning to pleading as she turned anyway, and his hands came to rest on her shoulders. His lips were so close to hear ears as he spoke that she could feel his breath against her exposed neck and it sent shivers down her spine. "I've been a jerk to you lately, let me make it up to you." She found herself nodding, no longer controlling her own movements. "Besides, you're always concerned about other people, it's time that someone else did something for you."

"Is that what this is?" She asked.

"Yes." He nodded. "All of this tonight, its all for you."

Somehow, she felt like she was dreaming. Jack had appeared out of nowhere, and was now giving her his undivided attention for the evening. She felt even more like she was dreaming when she felt herself being lowered backwards. The surprise rendered her unable to move, as well as Jack's arm coming around and resting on her stomach, and she found herself seconds later having been eased back into Jack's arms. She had to let out a small laugh when she realised this.

"I can see you smiling, you know." He told her, and she laughed again.

"Can I open my eyes now?" She asked impatiently.

"No, keep them closed." He instructed.

She obliged, and then suddenly felt a smoothness over her lips. The aroma of chocolate filled her nose and she smiled, knowing that Jack was doing now. She parted her lips to recieve the chocolate, but he pulled it back, taunting her with it. Then he resumed again, and when she went for it again, pulled it away, it happened over and over again until they both burst out laughing.

"Jack, I never took you for a tease." She joked.

"Isn't it amazing what certain people bring out in others." He mused, allowing the chocolate to pop into her mouth now.

She savoured it on her tongue before eating it, and then asked. "Oh, certain people?"

"Yeah, there is one." Jack said, resuming his previous actions with another peice of chocolate, noticing the hitch in her breathing when with a sleight of hand his fingertips grazed her lips instead, and it brought a satisfied smile to his lips. It was strange how something so simple as chocolate could become so sexual when used in the right way. "One woman who just brings out my playful side, makes me want to run up and down the beach for hours, makes me want to do the craziest things all the time, makes me feel things I never thought I'd feel."

"Oh really?" Kate asked, although she was starting to get the idea of why this was really happening. "What's she like?" She asked.

Jack gave her the second peice of chocolate, his fingertips tracing her skin and he pulled his hand away. If she didn't already have her eyes closed, she would have done now. "She's amazing..." He breathed out, his eyes focused on her all the time, watching her, taking her in. "...Since the first time I met her, we just connected, and things got stronger since then." He revealed. "She's someone that I feel I can tell everything about me and not feel ashamed, because she's good like that. She understands. She accepts. Then, the guy she likes went away for a while. We didn't know if he was going to come back at all, and I got closer to her, and I loved it. I was going to tell her how I felt, but then he came back, and I knew I had lost her again. Then...we kissed. We did the thing that I'd wanted to do for over a month, but I made a mistake. She ran, and I didn't go after her." Jack had closed his own eyes now. "I should have gone after her, taken her in my arms, and kissed her again and again, but I didn't, and a few nights ago, I nearly lost her forever."

"Jack..." He heard her voice, but he didn't respond to it. "Jack..." She tried again. "...Jack, please, open your eyes."

He did open his eyes, and saw that she had as well, and she was lying in his lap, looking up at him. Their eyes connected, and they both revealed more than ever in that single glance. He didn't even realise that his hand was back on the side of her face, cupping her cheek lovingly.

"Jack...You haven't lost her." She told him. "She's still right here, she's still - she's ... still yours."

Jack nodded, hearing her, but not quite understanding. Was she his? He thought that the way things were going, she was Sawyer's at the moment? But Kate wasn't a possession to be tossed backwards and forwards. She was a person, a living breathing woman who Jack wanted to hold all through the night. Their eyes were still bound, and Jack looked down at her, then slowly bent down to meet her lips. It was magical. Unlike last time, it wasn't rushed, it wasn't needy, but instead, it was passionate, the kiss that they'd both wanted more than they could say. When they parted, Kate's eyes were closed again, and Jack softly kissed her eyelids.

"Am I dreaming?" She asked breathlessly, her eyes still hidden.

"If you were dreaming, would you be able to feel this?" He asked, as he returned his lips to hers once again. She smiled, contently, and relaxed against him once more. Her body turned to jelly against him as she lay back in a perfect mould around him. "Are you Ok?" He asked her.

"I'm better than Ok." She told him with a smile. "I'm just...tired, thats all." She explained.

"Kate..." He said softly, pushing her fringe back behind her ears. "...I know you haven't been sleeping well." He admitted.

She opened her eyes, snapping them open. "What?"

"Hurley and Charlie." He said simply. She groaned at the idea, covering her face with her hands.

"I should have known..." She muttered to herself.

"They were worried about you, Kate." He said. "And so am I."

"I didn't want you to know." She said. "I knew you'd worry."

"Of course I would have done."

"But you've got more important things to worry about." She argued quietly.

"Kate, didn't you listen to a word I just said?" He asked, putting his hands either side of her face softly. "_You _are the most important thing to me. Not the hatch. Not The Others. Not Michael. _You, _and only you." He saw the happiness in her eyes, that stemmed from the knowledge of finally having someone else care for her as she cared for them. "Come on, let's get some sleep." He said, easing her up. "God knows you need it."

"But...the hatch..." She started, as he helped her up off the ground. Her arguement was only half-filled with the determination she usually had, as she was so tired, and also, the idea of him staying the night was too strong a pull for her to resist.

"I told you, tonight, everything is for you." He said, letting her head lean against his shoulder as they walked around to her shelter, going in through the tarp that served as a door. "And it doesn't stop at tonight." He resisted the temptation to look back, but he knew that the rest of the survivors were watching them, curiously. He pulled the tarp down after her, and then followed her into the shelter. Like some of the other survivors, she had used two of the chairs from the fuselage to create a bigger bed for herself. Mainly, it was because she was ashamed to admit that her nightmares had sometimes resulted in her being thrown from the smaller bed before.

"Can you turn around?" Kate asked, going over to a suitcase on the ground where she kept her clothes on. "I need to get changed."

Jack nodded, and turned around with his back facing her. After a few seconds, he heard her rummaging around, and then he heard two seperate things fall against the sand; her jeans, and her t-shirt. He fought the temptation to turn around, knowing that it was morally wrong to do so. He couldn't spy on Kate getting changed. He could, it would be easy, but he wouldn't. He continued to run this dilemma over in his head, all the while knowing that less than six feet behind him, Kate was getting changed. This meant taking clothes off before she could put more on.

He used all his willpower to get his mind out of the gutter, and was startled out of his thoughts by two arms wrapping around his waist, and the feel of Kate's head resting against his back with a heavy sigh. He turned around at her sigh and continued to hold her, resting his head on top of hers, breathing in the scent that was simply Kate. She was wearing a long sleeved shirt now, one that he had seen her wearing a lot recently as it got later into the evening, and a pair of mens navy sweatpants.

"You don't have to be here." She said softly. "The nightmares...you don't need to be here for them."

He nodded into her. "Yes, I do." He said simply. "And I'm going to be."

"Why?"

"Because as much as you hate to admit it, you want me here when you wake up." He knew, and she looked up at him. "And I want to be here for you, no matter what."

The words 'thank you' were on her lips, but she had trouble saying them. She just couldn't admit to herself that she truly needed another human being there beside her to get through the night. She didn't need to say the words, however, as Jack nodded, knowing that she meant it with all her heart.

Silently, they went over to Kate's bed, and lay down together. At first, Kate lay with her back pressed against his chest, and as comfortable as it was, she couldn't stay that way. She needed to feel his arms around her, giving her back that secure feeling she thought she had lost. She needed a night where she felt safe again, because he was there. Only this time, he wasn't down the beach, he was right next to her, holding her. Longing for that security, she turned in his arms, laying with her head on his chest. She felt herself falling into sleep without arguement. The last thing she remembered thinking was how something so simple as chocolate had brought them together.

* * *

Jack's presense helped her, and she slept all through the night. There wasn't a single nightmare plauging her mind, and she slept only with a safety net around her. For once, she hadn't woken up in a completely different position because she had figited around. Instead, she had woken in exactly the same place she had slept in. Jack's arms were still tightly wrapped around her, and she could feel his hands trailing up and down her spine in a gentle soothing notion. She opened her eyes, and daylight flooded them, she had slept in much later than she had intended. She smiled into Jack, burrowing further to sheild her eyes from the bright sunshine that rained down on them.

"Good morning, sleepyhead."

She didn't look up at Jack's comment, only nuzzled her head against him more. "Mornin'." She replied sweetly. She felt him place a kiss on the top of her head, and looked up at him.

"How did you sleep?" He asked, worried that she had a nightmare he didn't know about.

"No nightmares." She said with a satisfied smile. "For the first time in years, a night with no nightmares."

He smiled back at her, and they kissed again. When they parted, Kate looked around the daylight filled tent even more.

"What time is it?" She asked.

Jack went to check his watch, but they were interrupted by a voice from the doorway of her tent. "It's midday."

They both jumped a little and looked over into the doorway, where Charlie and Hurley were sitting, blocking their exit. They waved.

"Morning, dudes."

"Uh...hey." Jack said simply.

"What are you guys doing here?" Kate asked.

"Timing you." They said in unison. "We're so bored recently, and we've decided to time it from when Jack entered your tent last night, up until when he leaves." Hurley said simply.

"Timing us?" Jack replied strangely.

"Midday?" Kate asked, a little annoyed that she had slept so late through the day.

"Yeah, you're up to sixteen hours so far." Charlie told them. "Someone slept well." He smirked, raising his eyebrows.

"Whatever is running through your dirty little mind, stop it, Charlie." Kate told him, and he looked down, scolded.

"Aww, come on, guys, it's fun, cheer up, you're annoying the hell out of Sawyer." Hurley said.

Kate and Jack looked at each other, then back at the pair in the doorway. "We are, huh?" Jack asked curiously.

"Yeah, he said he'd rather see you and know that you're not doing it than not see you and knowing that you're doing it." Charlie said. "If you last twenty hours, we win a load of toiletries back from him." He stated simply.

"In that case," Kate said sweetly, "Can you guys clear off out of here? We'd like some privacy." She said, and gave Jack a suggestive look which grossed Charlie and Hurley out.

"Dudes, we're gone."

And they were. Jack turned back around and faced Kate again. He propped himself up on his elbow so that he was partially leaning over her.

"So, privacy, eh?"

Kate nodded, pulling him by the collar to meet her lips. They kissed, not breaking as Jack rolled so that he was above her, and then lost themselves in each other.

* * *

Hours later, when they ventured out of Kate's tent for dinner, Charlie came over and patted Jack's shoulder.

"Nice one, guys. Twenty-three hours." He dropped a handful of toiletries into Kate's lap in return for helping him with the bet, and looked to see Sawyer glaring at them.

"What have we got?" Jack asked curiously.

"Deoderant, toothpaste, tampons, and ..." She looked at one box in particular, and then over at where Charlie was sitting innocently. "Charlie! Is this really necessary?" She asked loudly.

Charlie grinned stupidly. "It might be if you keep up your marathon!"

"What is it?" Jack asked laughing, grabbing the box out of her hands, and the group sitting around Charlie laughed at the surprised look on his face. It was a pregnancy test. Jack laughed again, and looked at the toothpaste Kate was holding. "Don't worry, I've got an idea. We'll get them back for it." He said.

* * *

The next morning, Jack was the main suspect when Charlie, Hurley, and two other survivors awoke to find themselves with toothpaste moustaches, eyebrows, and make your own glasses. It was funnier when Charlie didn't notice his for a few hours until the sun started to melt it and he thought his skull was melting out of his skin. Now that Jack and Kate were together, it seemed like order had been restored to the island, and tension had vanished.

It's strange how something as simple as chocolate can start a relationship off.

* * *

A/N: Whatever will I write episode-wise if SOS turns out like we're hoping it to?


End file.
